7. Preparation (4)
“Huh?”
Aina was startled.
She didn’t see the small blue light that briefly appeared on Jin-woo’s hand.
“I’m going. I’ll eat well.”
Jin-woo said goodbye to her and passed by.
Aina blankly stared at her own hand for a moment.
Large blisters had formed, and there were cuts here and there, making it difficult to train. However, she didn’t feel any stinging sensation. When she removed the bandages, the wounds were clean without any traces.
Aina blinked and looked at Jin-woo’s back, then quietly smiled.
The exam venue was borrowed from schools and various training facilities.
It was an exam hosted by the Korean government and the Magic Association, and of course, it was recognized not only in Korea but also in the international community. Korea’s mage license was prioritized over exams from other countries.
It was because of the Magic Association.
Jin-woo was assigned to the comprehensive training center, an affiliated building of the Magic Association’s headquarters.
Moreover, his exam number was 1.
The seat number closest to the proctor.
‘Are they conscious of public opinion?’
Although the articles had decreased, they were still steadily coming out.
It was thanks to Lee Min-cheol’s efforts.
On community sites where mage license applicants gathered, Jin-woo was treated almost like a traitor.
‘I’m a 4th-year mage apprentice aiming for 9th grade, but I failed by 10 points last year. But 7th grade, not even 8th grade? He must have a pure brain. Since he’s 15, it’s about time for middle school 2nd-year syndrome.’
‘From 8th grade, it’s truly the realm of talent. My friend, a genius who swept national competitions since childhood, barely passed in his 4th year. And that was after graduating from Seoul National University’s Mado Engineering Department.’
‘It’s just bullshit from an idiot, why are you so serious about it?’
There were a few posts worrying about manipulation, but they quickly disappeared. Proctors from the Magic Association and the government were assigned, so cheating was impossible, let alone exam manipulation.
They even transparently disclosed all the test papers, answer sheets, and test results. Moreover, all the scenes from the exam venue were recorded on video.
So the mage apprentices trusted the Magic Association.
For now.
One had to walk from the entrance to the exam venue.
He got out of the car and entered through the entrance. There were people holding placards and cheering for the exam, and there were also instructors from academies in the Noryangjin area.
“That guy…”
“It’s Lee Jin-woo, right?”
“Is he really here to take the exam?”
Mage license applicant.
They were called mage apprentices for short. The mage apprentices all brought a lot of things. Not only large backpacks but also various reference books filled their hands.
Many mage apprentices even printed out entire papers and memorized them word for word.
‘Quite a lot of people have studied for over 10 years.’
Mage apprentices always struggled with a lack of money.
It was because it cost an extraordinary amount of money.
The reference books were made of special paper that could use simple magic, and they couldn’t be recycled after one use. Thanks to that, the academy district was often described as ‘a gold mine that will never disappear’.
Compared to other mage apprentices who brought a lot of things, Jin-woo was only carrying the paper bag Aina had given him. If one only looked at his appearance, it seemed like he was going somewhere to play.
Gazes gradually gathered around him.
Of course, there were no favorable gazes. Jin-woo didn’t even care. The image shown was just a means to prevent destruction anyway. Rather, he was pleased with the way they were swayed by his intentions.
There were quite a few people who acted as if they were already mages.
Mage apprentices had a strong fantasy about mages.
The ignorant believed that there was romance in magic.
‘Hello? May I ask what you do for a living?’
‘I don’t work.’
‘What? Then…’
Showing a 9th-grade mage license.
‘Heh, I’m a 9th-grade mage, you see?’
‘Whoa.’
‘Wow!?’
At one point, even such cringe-worthy memes were popular.
The problem was that there were too many people who took it seriously. From the Magic Association’s perspective, low-level mages were disposable, and from companies’ perspectives, they were just useful pawns.
The place Jin-woo was assigned to was Exam Room A.
Jin-woo slowly walked and entered the exam venue.
He arrived last while looking around, arriving exactly on time.
Everyone was preparing for the exam in their own way, such as memorizing formulas or praying earnestly.
When the exam time arrived, three exam proctors in uniforms entered. They were from the Magic Association and the government.
All of them were 8th-grade mages or higher.
Due to the constant talks, they were mages specially assigned to Jin-woo’s side. They scanned the mage apprentices, spotted Jin-woo, and took note of him.
Their eyes were filled with determination to mercilessly kick him out if he committed even the slightest irregularity.
The proctors had dark circles under their eyes, as if they had stayed up all night in a countermeasure meeting.
“Ooh…”
“Wow…”
The mage apprentices let out exclamations.
It was because they were the ones they admired. In contrast, Jin-woo was indifferent.
The proctors began moving around and checking the mage apprentices.
Magic circles were generated to scan their bodies. It was magic that would react if magic circles or techniques were written on them.
They checked very thoroughly.
They checked Jin-woo particularly and obviously in detail for a long time.
When a proctor signaled that there was no abnormality, the proctor who had been standing still nodded and opened his mouth.
“We will now begin the 7th-grade mage license exam. All applicants, please prepare for the exam according to the procedure.”
The proctor’s voice was cold.
It was a voice with emotions suppressed as much as possible. He seemed to have the highest grade among the proctors, and in Jin-woo’s view, he was at least a 7th-grade mage or higher.
“All actions of the applicants will be recorded on video and stored. The exam time is from 9 AM to 6 PM, and there is no break time. You can leave immediately after finishing the exam. Please remember that negative influences from the surrounding environment are also part of the exam.”
The proctor began giving simple instructions.
“Unlike the 9th and 8th-grade mage license exams, the 7th-grade mage license exam starts with mana measurement. When you receive the test paper, there will be a transparent gem. Please infuse your mana into it. If the mana corresponding to the 7th grade is confirmed, turn to the next page and solve the problems.”
As the proctor finished speaking, the faces of the mage apprentices were filled with tension.
Only very small breathing sounds could be heard.
“The exam will start when the bell rings at 9 o’clock. Prospective mages, I wish you the best of luck.”
The proctors handed out the test papers.
Everyone waited for the bell to ring in tension.
Ding-dong!
As the bell rang, the mage apprentices began concentrating their mana towards the transparent gem.
‘Hmm…’
The total exam time was 9 hours.
Among that, mana measurement took up quite a lot of time. Unless one had ample mana capacity, it took an average of one to two hours.
70% to 80% of the applicants failed the mana measurement test.
Mage apprentices aiming for the 7th grade considered this the 1st ordeal.
If they somehow passed the 1st ordeal, the 2nd ordeal awaited them.
The threshold for the 2nd ordeal was even higher.
They had to interpret a wide range of magic systems, from 9th to 7th-grade magic, as well as connected formulas and applied magic.
Everyone was grunting, but Jin-woo was just sitting still, lost in thought.
‘Come to think of it, I didn’t have breakfast.’
He had forgotten while training until sunrise.
The lunchbox Aina had prepared for him came to mind. Jin-woo nodded.
‘I should eat it before the lunchbox gets cold.’
Of course, he originally planned to finish quickly anyway.
He just got a bit faster.
As Jin-woo, who had been still, began to move his hand, the proctors took notice of him. Infusing mana was a piece of cake. As soon as he touched it, it was filled with mana.
“Oh…!”
“Hmm…”
The proctor made a sound, although he shouldn’t have. It was because the mana manipulation was absurd. The proctor next to him gave a warning, and he hurriedly covered his mouth.
Jin-woo picked up a pen and scanned the test paper.
Of course, everything was so easy that it made him sigh. He sat slightly crookedly and began playing with the pen.
Swish swish swish!
It looked like he was scribbling roughly, but as magic circles were generated, the black lines drawn with the pen turned blue. It was a sign that the magic was established.
“Ah…”
“Hmm…”
Jin-woo’s technique was concise yet beautiful. And it was easy to understand. The proctor was so captivated that he lost his sense of duty.
Swish swish!
While everyone was grunting, calculating formulas, and drawing magic circles with much thought, Jin-woo kept writing as if doodling and quickly turned the pages of the test paper.
The exam had a total of 200 questions.
When 20 minutes had passed, Jin-woo’s pen stopped. Excluding the time he spaced out, he solved 200 questions in almost 20 minutes. And that was the result of controlling himself while thinking about other things.
When Jin-woo raised his hand, a proctor approached.
With trembling hands, the proctor received Jin-woo’s test paper. He stared at the test paper for a long time, half-dazed. Only when another proctor approached and shook his shoulder did he come to his senses.
Jin-woo took the paper bag and immediately left the exam room.
The mage apprentices glanced at Jin-woo and sneered at him with a look that said, ‘Of course.’
‘He gave up.’
‘A kid with middle school 2nd-year syndrome taking an exam, yeah right.’
‘He really lives an easy life.’
Contrary to the mage apprentices’ thoughts, all the proctors had a perplexed expression.
They sensed that a very confusing situation would unfold.
Jin-woo went outside and walked towards the empty entrance.
As he walked out, several reporters who seemed to have been hiding and waiting rushed towards him.
They were reporters sponsored by Lee Min-cheol.
Their faces were also full of sneers. With a solid backing, they seemed to have no fear of the world.
Since he came out 20 minutes after the start of the exam, they thought he had given up on the exam. They had already composed headlines in their minds.
A title that drew aggro really well!
“Hey! Lee Jin-woo?”
“Let’s do an interview!”
“Did you give up on the exam?”
“How about showing a repentant attitude even now?”
“There are even rumors that you’ve been disowned by Chairman Lee Un-seon, is that true?”
They shoved the camera right in front of Jin-woo’s nose. Jin-woo looked at them and smirked.
“I remembered I didn’t have breakfast. I finished early to eat.”
“What?”
“The exam was too easy, you know?”
At Jin-woo’s words, the reporters had a dumbfounded expression.
Jin-woo smirked and passed by them. The reporters, who had been frozen in bewilderment for a moment, tried to follow Jin-woo again. However, their legs got tangled, and they all fell over.
They didn’t see the magic circle that appeared on the ground.
Jin-woo turned his head to look at the reporters.
“You reporters should also eat a hearty breakfast. And don’t go around eating strange things.”
He gave a slight greeting and left through the entrance.
He got on the car that was waiting. Harmu was sitting in the driver’s seat, waiting.
“Did the exam go well?”
“I just took it roughly.”
Harmu nodded.
The result was obvious. She smiled slightly as Jin-woo took out the lunchbox from the paper bag.
“Aina practiced for a whole week.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I thought I would die from being so full. For a week, I ate lunchboxes for all three meals a day. Ah! I’m not supposed to say this. Please pretend you didn’t hear it.”
Harmu, who said that, looked quite happy.
Jin-woo opened the lid of the lunchbox. The rice and side dishes were nicely arranged in a cute way.
“Not bad.”
A little salty though.
The slightly salty taste felt sweet to Jin-woo.
Harmu’s gaze was burdensome.
As she took out a camera and started sneakily taking pictures, Jin-woo let out a small sigh.
* * *
The Ilsin Group regularly held a general meeting where executives from the entire group gathered. It was a place to solidify the governance structure and give rewards and punishments. Executives from the provinces and even those from overseas branches had to come to the building that symbolized the Ilsin Group.
As this day approached, the executives were tense in their own ways, entering the huge conference room like cows being dragged to a slaughterhouse. If this was the case for executives with good performance, it went without saying for those with poor performance.
The one trembling the most was Lee Min-cheol.
It was because Seonil Tech’s performance was currently the most miserable. Until Lee Min-cheol became the CEO, Seonil Tech’s performance was so good that one couldn’t even think of the words ‘management deterioration’.
Unable to sleep at all, he spent the night with his eyes open. He paced back and forth, unable to enter the conference room, then gulped and barely went inside.
All the well-known figures in the business world were gathered together.
Although it should have been noisy with so many people gathered, it was quietly chilly. The only sounds were small sighs and the flipping of documents they had brought.
“The chairman is entering.”
A sound that strangled everyone’s hearts was heard.